Living in Budapest is lovely, but meeting new people can be hard. But if you’re looking to expand your network (especially your professional network), then I have to tell you about this event a friend introduced me to called First Mondays. Get your LinkedIn profile ready–we’re about to go networking!
What Is First Mondays?
Put on by Startup Hungary, First Mondays is a networking series aimed at startup owners and interested investors. Personally, I’m not too deep in the startup scene, but you know me–I love talking to strangers! And since it involved a gorgeous venue, interesting people, and pizza, I thought I might as well give it a try! Here’s how the experience goes:
Arriving at First Mondays
The event takes place at TwentySix–an indoor jungle oasis at Budapest’s city center. It could be tempting to stop downstairs for a mezze-style meal, but instead, make your way all the way upstairs to the conference area at the top.
I’d suggest getting there a bit early so that you have time to scan your ticket, make some pre-connections as you sip on welcome drinks, and grab the best seat for the upcoming Q + A.
The hour-long Q + A presentations are highly anticipated. The speakers change every month, so you’re able to get a glimpse into different startup sectors. I think this part is so cool because you’re hearing directly from people who made their dreams into a reality. The first time I went, we heard from the founders of Munch–an app that aims to eliminate food waste by allowing users to buy barely-expired food at a discounted rate from restaurants and stores around Budapest (and other cities).
If you’re interested in founding a startup yourself, you can get some pretty invaluable information as you learn from the victories and pitfalls of people who have done it all before.
Networking in Budapest
I found the presentation to be really interesting, but for all of you social butterflies out there, the fun part starts afterwards. After the session, everyone floods into the main room for hours of chatting. This part of the evening is whatever you make of it. Personally, I was just happy to meet new people and hear them talk excitedly about their projects. There’s so much passion in that room!
However, there are certainly people who are there with one goal: finding a business partner. There are plenty of investors there looking for their Next Big Thing. So if you come with an updated LinkedIn and an open attitude, who knows? You might just get your idea off the ground.
Happy networking!
Xx Denae
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